I'm from Florida, and my parents house in central Florida is on septic. Septic problems are much more of a hassle and much more expensive than AC problems. Central air can be installed, while it isn't cheap, it is much less of a fiasco than potential septic issues.

It also seems like the second house is not as stable (ie the foundation issue), which would concern me if another storm hits (which, all floridians know is a likelihood).

oh my goodness I know!The weather is crazy here.The palm trees in the front of the brick house (first house) are so going they r huge and high palm trees,Cute in all and old but too tall :/ I will have to plant some new ones.

I would definitely ask your realtor or realtor attorney about the deposit before putting it money down. My mom and step dad just went through selling their house. The first person that put the deposit (earnest money) decided they did not want the house because they found another home they liked better and my parents ended up being able to keep the $5000 that the person put down. The people were not happy about not getting their money back but it was in the contract that they signed.
I totally understand the air conditioning issues. We live in Texas and have been talking about finding a home to buy. My first requirement is central air conditioning because it gets 100 plus here so no central air means being miserable in the summer.

ouch!5,000 would kinda make you mad.The contract is written from my Realtor and attorney and the bank and everyone except it thank god!We almost got serious about another house and the bank was a pain did not want to agree with a contract for nothing or even a price.Its so hard right now even if u r buying your home with cash out right it is so difficult with the housing market in all.I never knew it would be this hard I just figured since we were going to buy the house from the bank or Realtor out right with cash no loans we didn't need to worry about anything.I have a friend with a loan and cash that has been waiting 3 months for the bank to get back with her.

ty me too!We have looked at many houses and we have decided 3 bed rooms and 1 bath will be sufficient. I'd like another bathroom but hey least our water wont be so high with only one.I have surgery in 6 months to a year to reconstruct my ankle and heel so we didn't want a place to big but big enough to be cozy.Its only me and my old man and the Chihuahuas and my lil Yorkie which are our only children our Fur children.

One piece of advise a good friend gave me was to visit the neighborhood at different times of day (and night) just to get a feel for what it is like. TALK to the neighbors all around you, on both sides, across the street, and even behind you. Ask if there have been any problems with the house that they know of? You would be surprised what neighbors will tell you. Very valuable information. And also you get a feel for the neighborhood. If the neighbors are super weird, for example, do you really want to live next door to them? Or if they had 4 pit bulls that were getting out of the fence regularly? (Just an example, I know that there are good pit bulls out there).

You can also go to https://www.crimereports.com/ and type in the address and look at crimes that have been reported there in the last year or so. If you had little kids, for example, you wouldn't want to buy a house with a registered sex offender next door.

__________________"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

I just wanted to second what Tracy said- look at crime rate maps and take a look around the neghiborhood at all times of the day. When we were looking at houses we would put in an offer then spend 3 days driving around and looking all over and talking to neighbors. Go at 1am, and at 3 in the afternoon when school is getting out, and at morning rush hour- I learned more about houses driving around at odd times and talking to people than I did any other way. I even would walk the dog around the neighborhood and talk to other dog owners. Also go to the closest grocery store, those give a good feel for neighborhoods too.

As far as the earnest money- in areas where there are lots of foreclosure (like us) it is not uncommon the have a deposit down on 3 or 4 houses at once if they are all short sales of foreclosures. Sometimes you are in escrow for months and it is rejected by the bank, or you find a better house or whatnot- I got lots of earnest money back while we were looking and was writing checks left and right. Your realtor just has to write your contract in a way that allows you to back out for no reason. Conventional sellers sometimes don't allow contracts like that- and that makes sense- but it is not unusual at all to have money down on multiple houses these days.